Continuously, countless soldiers wearing armor climbed out of this extremely wide area of yellow sand.
Although they were all covered in gray and gray, at least they survived. Many of them were slumped on the ground, breathing heavily.
One of the groups of soldiers kept pulling in one direction, and a young man who was also covered in yellow sand and looked embarrassed was dug out.
This person was none other than Su Qi'an, the commander of the army.
Su Qian shook the yellow sand on his head, looked up at the people around him, and said quickly.
"Tong Zhan, is everyone okay? Quick! Count the troops."
Tong Zhan took the order and quickly shuttled in front of countless soldiers. After issuing the order, the soldiers crawling out of the yellow sand began to assemble in an array.
It took almost half an hour to finish counting.
There were only more than 1,800 people left in the army out of 2,500. Among the remaining 700, only the bodies of a few hundred were found, and the others were probably missing.
This number was reported to Su Qi'an. His face was solemn. Although he was prepared in his heart, it was really hard for Su Qi'an to accept the loss of nearly a quarter of his troops.
This is the cruelty of war. Not everyone will die on the battlefield. There are not a few who accidentally disappear due to the execution of missions.
Su Qi'an had no time to be sentimental. Their mission had not been completed yet, and now this sandstorm had blown them to an unknown place.
Now we have to quickly identify the location. Getting lost in the desert is very dangerous.
Fortunately, after the dust passed, the sky was briefly clear. According to the direction of the sun, even if you couldn't tell the location, you could at least know the southeast, northwest, and northwest.
Zhenjun City is in the north, and the military city they want to go to when leaving the city is also in the north. As long as they walk all the way north, they will definitely reach their destination.
After identifying and registering the soldiers buried in the desert one by one, Su Qi'an quickly gathered his troops and headed north as quickly as possible.
The army set off again in a mighty manner, but after setting off, Su Qi'an might not have thought of it, because he registered the action of burying the fallen soldiers.
It has left a good impression on these soldiers.
These soldiers were favored by wealthy families and seemed to have a good status.
In fact, this is not the case. In front of those wealthy and dandy princes, they are just pawns that can be discarded at any time.
These princes will only put their own life and death first. As for them, they are just dispensable.
For those young men like Su Qi'an to register and bury it personally, it is simply impossible.
Su Qian's behavior, even if it was just for show, was deeply moved by the soldiers.
Since they join the army, they put life and death aside, and dying on the battlefield is their destination.
But Su Qi'an was the only one who received the basic respect and treated them as human beings. For this reason, some of the opinions hidden deep in the hearts of these soldiers completely dissipated at this moment.
Su Qi'an's army ran wildly all the way. After experiencing the dust just now, the road ahead seemed to be favored by the goddess of luck. There were no accidents along the way.
Just when Su Qian's army was back on track and less than fifty miles away from the first military city.
Su Qian stopped at this time.
In front of him was not endless desolation, but two huge peaks.
The mountain is so huge that if you want to pass through it, there is only a narrow passage in the middle of the pile.
The passage is very narrow, only about ten meters, and the two high peaks are natural ambush points.
Of course, besides this natural chasm, there are other roads, but that road can only be a detour, and this detour will delay the journey for at least another day.
This was impossible for Su Qian who was short on time.
"Mr. Su, let me, Lao Xu, lead people to explore the road ahead."
While Su Qian's brows were solemn, a burly captain named Xu walked out.
Su Qi'an knew this man. He was a captain of the Huben Army. At first, he did not respect Su Qi'an. However, after the Nancheng District blockade, Captain Xu's attitude towards Su Qi'an changed eighty degrees.
Lieutenant Xu is a straight man and doesn't have so many twists and turns. If you want to gain his respect, you have to show your skills on the battlefield.
Su Qi'an still trusted this kind of mindless warrior.
Only this time, Su Qi'an did not agree to Captain Xu's offer.
The reason is also very simple. Lieutenant Xu is a heavy armored infantryman. If he goes to explore the road, if something unexpected happens, he may not be able to get out.
The best choice is the cavalry with rich experience. Su Qi'an has such people, but he doesn't want to let them take risks.
Each of these cavalrymen is a treasure to Su Qi'an. Even if this army is improvised, if it wants to survive and be safer, the cavalry is indispensable to take the lead.
After thinking about it, Su Qian turned his head and said to Tong Zhan, "Do you dare to go with me to explore the road this time?"
As soon as these words came out, Tong Zhan was stunned. Before he could speak, Captain Xu said quickly.
"Mr. Su, this is impossible. There is no commander to explore the road. Isn't this a slap in the face to us subordinates?"
"Mr. Su, Lieutenant Xu is right. You are the commander of this army. You must not go to something dangerous like this. I promised Lord Marquis to ensure your safety."
Su Qi'an shook his head nonchalantly at the two's attempts to stop him and said.
"Don't worry, I, Su Qian, will not risk my life. None of you are suitable for this exploration. You all have your own tasks, and you are indispensable at critical moments."
"Tong Zhan, come with me. Let's go back quickly. Believe me, this exploration may give you a surprise."
After saying that, Su Qian swung the horse rope, and the horse under him stepped quickly and flew away.
At this time, Tong Zhan could only follow quickly. Before leaving, he gave Captain Xu instructions.
Stand on guard at the gate of the moat, waiting for his orders at any time. If there is any movement in the moat, rush in immediately.
The two rode horses and disappeared into the chasm in the blink of an eye.
At this time, there was a sizable army parked on the other side of the chasm.
After a while, a small team of about ten people slowly walked into the chasm.
Looking carefully, the leader is still an old acquaintance of Su Qi'an.
This team was none other than Zheng Liang and Zhao Ang who were separated from Su Qi'an.
According to the agreement, Su Qi'an went north, and Zheng Liang and Zhao Ang went south. For some reason, Zheng Liang and Zhao Ang also came to the north.
Looking in, this team of about ten people was walking, and the leaders Zheng Liang and Zhao Ang seemed to be talking about something.
"Brother Liang, do you mean what you say? Will you let me go when I get out of the chasm?"
"Foolish brother, we came all the way from Kyoto to the border of Ningzhou just to make achievements? But this war has exceeded my brother's imagination."
"You have also seen that Lin Ye and Liu Qing have been killed in battle, and Zhou Yan has run away. You are the only son of Zhao Guogong's grandson, and you cannot afford to take your life here."
"Brother, I don't have much ability. I can only help you so much. Please don't be offended, stupid brother."
"Hey, brother Liang, what did you say? Brother Liang's kindness, brother Yu will keep it in mind. As long as brother Yu can return to Kyoto, he will definitely let grandpa help Duke Zheng in the court."
Zhao Ang looked confident.
Regarding Zhao Ang's example, Zheng Liang waved his hand and said, "Brother Yu, this is all a trivial matter. I'll let you see me off for a while. Brother Yu, please take care of yourself on the road ahead."
Zhao Ang nodded solemnly, with indescribable excitement on his face.
Zhou Yan's escape greatly touched Zhao Ang. He did not expect that Zhou Yan would be so cunning and run away just one step ahead of him.
But he wanted to carry out such a dangerous mission, and just when Zhao Ang was leaving the city, he planned to take advantage of the opportunity and escape.
Zheng Liang, however, dispelled his idea as soon as he left the city. Instead of blaming him, Zheng Liang made suggestions for you to help him escape.
With Zheng Liang's help, Zheng Liang finally found an excuse after leaving the city for two days.
On the pretext of exploring the road, he mobilized his confidants and went to explore the road with Zhao Ang.
Zheng Liang's move not only showed that he took the lead, but also took the opportunity to win over a wave of people's hearts.
Zhao Ang was extremely impressed by this scene.
Zhao Ang also asked Zheng Liang what to do next after letting him go.
Zheng Liang also thought of a way out for himself, and said that there were rocks falling in the chasm, which caused him and Zhao Ang to be separated, and Zhao Ang was nowhere to be found.
Even if he was discovered in the future and blamed, he would have to bear the responsibility himself. With Zheng Liang's identity, the superiors would not dare to do anything to him.
Zhao Ang was deeply moved by this explanation. His good brother was worthy of being a good brother.
In the future, Brother Liang will be the leader of the horse, Zhao Ang thought in his heart.
After walking for a few more minutes, they reached a corner. Zheng Liang cupped his hand and said to Zhao Ang.
"Foolish brother, go ahead. When you return to the capital, say hello to Duke Zhao for me. I wish you safety here, brother."
"Brother Liang, don't say anything anymore. Brother Yu is waiting for Brother Liang to return to the capital. Let's have a drink with Brother Yu."
With tears streaming down his face, Zhao Ang bowed his hand to Zheng Liang, then turned the horse's rope, kicked his feet, and the horse under him galloped quickly.
Looking at Zhao Ang's retreating back, the reluctance on Zheng Liang's face was suddenly replaced by a seriousness, and he murmured softly.
"I'm sorry, Yu brother, it means more for you to die here than to return to Beijing alive!"
Behind Zheng Liang, more than a dozen of his confidants had already set up their bows and arrows at some unknown time, and pointed their sharp arrows at Zhao Ang's back from a distance.
With a wave of Zheng Liang's big hand, more than a dozen sharp arrows were shot out.
There was no surprise, accompanied by the sound of a horse falling to the ground and neighing.
Zhao Ang, who wanted to fight in Ningzhou and gain military glory like other princes, was shot into a hornet's nest by arrows.
He never imagined that Zheng Liang, who was always trusting and came from a famous family, would actually do evil things to him.
It's a pity that he is destined to take this doubt to hell in a daze.
Seeing Zhao Ang's struggling body completely dead, Zheng Liang nodded and was about to give orders to his confidants to bring Zhao Ang's body back.
Suddenly, Zheng Liang turned his head sharply, stared straight ahead with a pair of sharp eyes, and shouted loudly.
"Who is it, come out!"
At the same time, the dozen or so confidants behind him aimed their arrows at the protruding boulder in front of them again.
